A place to share achievements, leadership, issues, concerns, creative solutions, profiles, stories, etc. from and or about First Nations, Indigenous Nations women, American Indian, Natives and Aboriginal women.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONThis report has reflected on the literature as it relates to the history of colonization and the devastating impacts it has had on Indigenous populations in Canada. An examination of Indigenous and nonIndigenous history in particular points to how the Indian Act has been complicit in both the dispossession of land and the sacred and traditional roles among Indigenous people and women specifically. Along with this dispossession has been a culmination of federal and provincial policies that continues to subject and inflict trauma, separation, loss and grief. Much of this trauma and grief resulted from the intergenerational experiences of the residential schools and Sixties Scoop eras, and continued through the policies of child welfare, resulting in the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in thesystem and among those who have been sexually exploited and missing and murdered. Over the years, many of the policies designed to protect Indigenous children and youth, specifically girls, have actually had the opposite effect in that many Indigenous girls coming in the child welfare system remain vulnerable to the violence inherent in the very system intended to protect them. Internationally, Canada has been judged as being unable to uphold laws to protect Indigenous women and girls from violence.

Apathy and indifference towards Indigenous women and girls has been perpetuated for too many years given the lack of real concern by past federal governments to undertake a national inquiry into understanding why there are so many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls throughout the country.

The backbone of the report rests on the narrative testimony obtained from a select number ofcommunity members who expressed deep concern for Indigenous women and girls. The perspectives are based on community knowledge that is deeply rooted in the oral testimony and narrative of Indigenous individuals, which represents a culturally nuanced way of knowing and is itself, a form of intergenerational knowledge transfer. Thirteen questions were asked of 11 individuals from the Indigenous community within and outside of Winnipeg. The responses to these questions reflect the Debwewin or the “truth” of the participants regarding their concerns on the vulnerability of Indigenous girls involved in the child welfare system. The following generalized perspectives can be concluded from the collective responses shared by the community members who responded to the thirteen questions posed in this community-based initiative:

 The vulnerability of Indigenous girls who become involved with child welfare is reflective of the same vulnerabilities inherent in the historical relationships that have existed since contact with settler societies, which has been further perpetrated by the Indian Act.

 These vulnerabilities are rooted in the intergenerational trauma, separation, loss and grieving experienced because of colonization, residential schools, and experiences with the child welfare system, among other systems. These intergenerational experiences laid the foundation for the mistreatment, exploitation, and human rights violation of Indigenous women and girls.

 The centrality and sacredness of Indigenous girls and women has been lost because of thedegradation of Indigenous autonomy and femininity through colonial contact. Indigenous girlsand women need to reconnect to the beauty, strength, and love that comes from cultural teachings that are important for helping them connect to knowing who they are as Indigenousgirls and members of Indigenous nations.

 Reconnection to self for Indigenous girls lies in the respective cultural teachings among thevarious Indigenous nations within Canada. Access to and reconnection to Indigenous knowledge, culture and ceremony is critically important to the spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing and identity of Indigenous girls. Knowledge of one’s culture and teachings provide Indigenous girls with a strong foundation that lends to the sense of belonging and community connectedness, which is vitally important to their sense of safety.

 The bonding and knowledge between males and females has resulted in unhealthy relations in and among Indigenous populations. It was said that the teachings need to be shared between girls and boys and they must start early. Girls and boys must be equally involved and have access to cultural teachings that inform their respective roles and responsibilities to one another to ensure balance is restored among males and females for the sake of future generations. What is required is restoration and reclamation of cultural practices and ceremonies, including rites of passages practices.

 There is a need for more collaboration between the many systems that interact and serviceIndigenous children. Moreover, collaboration between systems must also include developingstronger relationships between Indigenous populations and their respective serviceorganizations. The incorporation of Indigenous traditions in the collaboration and relationshipbuilding processes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous systems and organizations is avitally important element for ensuring that Indigenous girls remain safe. Collaboration andrelationship building must include the employment of more Indigenous people in bothIndigenous and non-Indigenous systems.

 Indigenous parenting and families’ structures will only become stronger and improve whenelements of Indigenous knowledge, traditions, teachings and ceremony are restored, taught,and relied upon. Because so much has been lost as a result of residential schools, Indigenousfamilies need to be taught about traditional ways of helping. This requires a connection to land, language, and Elder roles. Healing is important to the revitalization of Indigenous cultures, parenting and traditional family and community structures. Nearly every individual consulted identified healing as essential for Indigenous peoples and communities in order to deal with the legacy of colonial contact, continuing colonialism, and the resulting impacts of lateral violence.

 Indigenous organizations need access to funding that is equitable in order to be able to provide more culturally safe and nurturing homes for Indigenous girls. This can be done in collaboration with mandated agencies. Also fundamental in providing safe and nurturing homes is the need for ensuring better education among those who take on fostering Indigenous girls. Indigenous girls need safe and nurturing homes where Indigenous people who are familiar with Indigenous traditions can support them.

 The best way to keep Indigenous girls safe is to maintain access to fundamental familialrelationships that are key to their wellbeing. Whenever possible and safe to do so, Indigenousgirls need to be connected to their parents, their siblings, their grandparents, extended family and community. These bonds need to be stabilized and nurtured and encouraged.

Indigenous girls need to have a sense of belonging in order to thrive. This sense of belonging comes from family, community and from cultural practices and teachings. The ability to build relationships is an important part of sustaining relationships.

 There are few supports, including financial supports, being invested into Indigenousorganizations that can provide safe places where Indigenous girls can go to be safe outside oftheir familial connections. Various programs and more safe Indigenous spaces need to becreated to address the vulnerability of Indigenous girls.

 In order to thrive in society, Indigenous girls need to be taught how to love rather than hatethemselves as they have long been taught. Strong Indigenous helpers, mentors and Elderswithin the community are needed for incorporating cultural knowledge to begin buildingconfidence in Indigenous girls.

 Indigenous girls can be resilient and this resiliency needs to be encouraged and developed, and cannot be overlooked. It is important to encourage girls to see their own strength and spirit, which in turn will help that spirit to grow stronger. Indigenous girls need to know who they are in order to thrive in mainstream society. It was agreed by all of the participants that Indigenous girls would get a sense of who they are by participating in cultural activities and ceremonies.

 The messages from the individuals interviewed for this report consistently focused on the fact that Indigenous girls are loved by the Indigenous community despite the fact that many may not know who or from where this love comes. They don’t want Indigenous girls to give up on themselves.

 Community members presented a number of solutions about what would make Indigenous girls safer. These recommendations are rooted in knowledge about the history of how Indigenous girls have been exploited. The formal recommendations contained in this report reflect an Indigenous lens that sees relationship building as vitally key in changing the safety landscape for Indigenous girls. Furthermore, the recommendations suggest that listening to the voices of Indigenous girls is equally important for ensuring safety for vulnerable Indigenous girls.

And so, it all comes down to the strength of relationships. The health of our communities is integrally tied to the strength and tenacity of those bonds. The voices of the community that resonate within these pages have offered many ideas for how we can go through the healing that is needed to arrive at a vision of a safe and healthy society that hears, includes, values, and protects all children and youth. The issues may seem complex and heavily intertwined, and yet, the solutions cover the spectrum from the simple to the more detailed, and there are valuable roles for all Manitobans. By investing in organizations and approaches that promote healthy relationship building and which actively facilitate outreach activities within communities where vulnerable indigenous girls live, there is a reasonable belief that outcomes will be improved. On a systemic level, there is also critical need to audit andaggressively address areas of the public systems that remain tethered to outdated approaches which have clearly not improved the lives of youth. These issues can be solved when each of us commits to actively create compassionate and reciprocal relationships, which should be of comfort and serve as motivation to anyone who sees the trauma and no longer wishes to see it continue.